Pistons give The Palace a makeover

By DANIEL TALLANT

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

AUBURN HILLS -- Renovations that were recently made to The Palace of Auburn Hills were unveiled to the media on Tuesday afternoon.

Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment's President of business operations, Dennis Mannion, guided a tour to show off the new changes made in appearance to The Palace, which first opened in November 1988.

Costs landed in the range of $13 to $15 million, but Mannion believes that the updates in technology and renovations made to some of the existing atriums and clubs easily puts The Palace of Auburn Hills back into the top tier of all sports and entertainment venues.

"I'd put this in the top five of all NBA arenas," Mannion said. "I think that it's very accessible. Our parking lots allow for easy exits, and with the newly widened concourses, it's easy to see why I would put the Palace up there with some of the best."

Perhaps the most recognizable changes made were the remodeling of the main concourse, and the newly designed East and West Atriums.

From the minute fans enter through the popular West Atrium, they'll see drastic changes in color schemes, including the removal of the infamous purple and red curtains that hung outside of every section, and an obvious effort made to simplify the building's layout. The spacious entrance way feels even more open, and a new line of ticket windows was added.

"We wanted to create a winning atmosphere," Mannion said. "By the time fans come in from the parking lot, get their concessions, and get to their seats, we want them in a good mood and ready to cheer."

Mannion pointed out that, in the past, he thought fans were bombarded with unnecessary signage, and he talked about how the changes made to the main concourse were designed around the idea of making everything look less cluttered.

"I thought we had a very noisy building, in terms of signage," he said. "Everything from the menu boards at the concession stands was out of date and hard to read. We knew that we had to upgrade our technology. I think everything is a lot more open and clean-looking."

The Palace plans to be completely WiFi-friendly by the end of January 2013, but huge steps have already been taken in creating a more convenient experience for patrons.

Included in the renovations to the main concourse, fans are now greeted with digital menu boards at nearly all of the concession stands and mobile carts.

To enhance the food and beverage portion of a fan's trip to the stadium, season ticket holders were given Pistons track jackets with a computer chip embedded in the cuff. Now, fans with the jacket are able to swipe their computer chip at the register for discounts on food and drinks. The computer chips also work in the merchandise stores for savings on apparel.

"This kind of technology is the just the tip of the iceberg," Mannion said. "Having this kind of stuff in place allows us to learn more about our fans. And, in turn, it will make the whole experience more valuable to the fan."

The overall style of the venue has changed. It's taken a step in the right direction, and Mannion loves the new futuristic, yet sophisticated, theme.

"Everything is more calm," he said. "I think the first thing that I noticed was how clean the stairwells look, and how fans aren't bombarded with advertisements."

A good portion of the renovations made, were to the newly named Club West, which is available for food and beverage and located directly above the West Atrium, along with the creation of both the Courtside Club and Club 300.

Club 300 might be the most innovative addition to the Palace. However, Mannion noted that the project is only about 80 percent complete. There were 16 suites on the 300 level that were removed for the creation of Club 300. It's an open-air lounge that has a club-like atmosphere, offering a slightly different way to take in Pistons' games and concerts.

"We have packages that will be starting from 39 dollars," Mannion said of Club 300. "That price includes a ticket and food and drink. I think if you can get all that for about 40 dollars, it's a good deal."

Updates were also made to 42 suites throughout the building, and remodeling was done to the 100-level suite concourse.

Mannion discussed future plans to install a new scoreboard, along with plans to replace all of the stadium-style seating in the arena, a project that's expected to be done sometime next year.

Above all the innovations that have been made to the Palace, Mannion still values nothing more than the product that is being put on display for fans.

"We obviously are trying to put a quality team out on the court," he said. "But along with the basketball, we're still consistently bringing in the top musical acts in the world."